


when it cracks

by NeverNothing



Series: prompts [5]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Violence, No Beta, Police Officer Sawamura Daichi, mentions of domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23108065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverNothing/pseuds/NeverNothing
Summary: Daichi had a rough day at work. Thankfully, Koushi is there for him.
Relationships: Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Series: prompts [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659022
Comments: 8
Kudos: 119





	when it cracks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [agrptrtrmnt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agrptrtrmnt/gifts).



> #41 "I feel like I can't breathe." for [maggie](https://twitter.com/agrptrtrmnt)

The first sign was Daichi not getting home in time. As a police officer, overtime happened, especially when there was paperwork to finish up on. 

Other cases that caused overtime were emergencies. Usually paperwork and emergencies went together so Sugawara was fearing the worst when Daichi still was not home when he got back from work that afternoon. Five hours ago he should have gotten back. Instead, Sugawara only received a text saying “Sorry, Koushi, something came up, I’m working overtime. I’ll tell you more once I get back.” Dated three hours and twenty-six minutes ago.

They were supposed to go out later today, a nice dinner. Sugawara had been looking forward to seeing his lover all dressed up in black dress pants  – and to take them off him hours later. Now, he doubted they would make it and secretly resigned himself to a quiet night in. Daichi would definitely make it up to him later. First, though, what mattered was him getting back to their shared home.

It was almost two hours later when the telltale sound of their code being typed, followed by the chime that announced the correct combination resounded. Sugawara was at the door in no time.

The man that entered through the door was exhausted. And still in uniform. Night shift clearly showed in his demeanor and the added overtime made it worse.

“Hi.” Sugawara spoke softly, leaning against the door to the living room. He tried to appear calmer than he actually was. From the sag of Daichi’s shoulders and his loaded exhale, he assumed it was working. 

Daichi was staring at him as if trying to ground himself through the sight of him. Sugawara Koushi who was already clad in sweats, ready to not leave the apartment again before he had to go back to school tomorrow morning. Sugawara Koushi who whispered “tea is ready” into the silence that had settled. 

Coming home warmed Daichi even though the remnants of his night were still haunting him.

Without saying a single word, he let himself be shuffled into their shared bedroom and changed his clothes on autopilot. Then, he somehow ended up on their couch with a cup of tea in his hand and  _ breathed _ .

The tea in his hand was still a little bit too hot to drink but the burn of it was grounding. Rationally, Daichi knew he should let the issue go, move on.

As a police officer you had to be prepared for sights you’d rather not see. Even though Miyagi had a relatively low crime rate and he mostly spent his days as the friendly neighborhood policemen, accidents and incidents still happened.

And that they did.

It was around two am when the call got in. The voice of a frightened boy, he must’ve been in middle school. His dad was drunk, he said. His mother was hurt, he was afraid of being hurt even more again, too, he sobbed. A case of domestic violence.

They handled it according to protocol, but the face of that boy, developing a black eye and lip busted stayed with him.

Two hours later, they got another call. A noise complaint from the same place, this time made by a neighbor. The night continued to grow worse from there.

After they had left, another fight broke out. The boy that had called them the first time was severely injured and was immediately sent to the hospital once found. His father had disappeared, taking most of their valuables with him. The situation looked dire.

The boy’s mother was still at the hospital herself and not conscious. There was no guardian they were able to contact to make legal decisions. Both mother and son, with the perpetrator on the run, were kept under police surveillance and care.

At the other end of the city, around the same time, an accident occurred. Again, teenagers were involved. And a drunk driver. Daichi and his partner drove to the scene of the accident directly after leaving the hospital, travelling back and forth the entire morning, talking to witnesses and securing the perimeter.

The situation was complicated by the identity of the drunk driver. Some hotshot politician from Tokyo who had just the right connections. Dealing with him, Daichi felt the usually thick threads of his patience thin. Experience was the only thing that made him hold back from snapping at the older man. Children had been involved,  _ damn it _ .

Pretty much running on too much caffeine already, he still had paperwork to work through once he got back to the station around ten. Then, he could finally leave. He kept seeing that boy in front of his eyes. First with the developing black eye and busted lip, then unconscious and bleeding, wounds on his face –and now clearly noticeable the bruises along his ribs – worse. He was still in a critical state, one of his broken ribs having ruptured his lung.

It always bothered Daichi to leave when situations were not completely dealt with. The death toll of that accident was not sure yet either. The teenagers had been on their way to school, half of them in the hospital now, the other half sitting in the police department, clearly traumatized. 

As a police officer, there was no way to avoid gruesome sights. Even if Miyagi was not that big, incidents and accidents did happen. Daichi knew that. He had been prepared for that. In the end, being prepared did not change much.

He was teaching some kids around the age of that boy from the domestic abuse case how to play volleyball. Pictures of each of them in a state similar to what he had witnessed kept popping up in his head. He was supposed to protect them and yet, in a sense, he was helpless. 

His throat and chest constricted, pressing out all air, not letting new in as pictures of those innocent children were played in his head. Children, abused until barely recognizable. He was supposed to protect them.

“I feel like I can’t breathe,” Daichi choked out. He had been silent since he had arrived home, he knew and he was sure Sugawara had noticed something was off. And yet, Suga patiently waited for him to speak. His tea was cold by now.

“Shh,” Suga was rubbing his back, firm and comforting. “It’s okay. Take a deep breath.”

Daichi complied. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Suga was breathing with him.

They breathed together until Daichi got a hold of himself again. When he did, he sighed and leaned back, right into Koushi’s waiting arms, wrapping his arms around Koushi’s middle in return. Slowly but surely, those images had withdrawn to the back of his mind. Daichi knew they were still there, but with Koushi warm by his side, they did not dare to rattle against his skull.

“Better?” Daichi just nodded and buried his head into Koushi’s neck. The smell of Koushi’s shampoo filled his nose, vanilla, together with a hint of cinnamon. That was not part of his usual smell.

Daichi hummed. “Why do you smell of cinnamon?”

“Tsukasa-san brought some cinnamon buns to work today and well, an accident happened with one of the kids. It’s all good though. I brought some home with me.”

Snorting, Daichi sank even more into Koushi’s embrace.

“Bath?” Koushi asked softly after another beat of silence.

No words could describe how thankful Daichi felt, knowing that Koushi was not about to ask him about what happened. He was not ready to talk about it yet. Not without knowing the outcome. And even though he was reluctant to let go of his lover, a bath sounded heavenly. After his long shift, he must be reeking. How could Koushi put up with that?

_ Because he loves you _ , the voice in his head told him. And finally, something inside of him settled, the calmness of being home set in at last. A comfortable warmth spread through his body and Daichi felt a small smile creeping onto his face.  _ He does _ , he told himself, over and over again.

His grip around Koushi’s waist tightened, an unspoken thank you. “You coming, too?”

With a laugh, Koushi brushed Daichi’s fringe back. “Sure.”

The sound of Koushi’s laughter was the best thing Daichi had heard all day.

**Author's Note:**

> [|@Twitter](https://twitter.com/neverNothingx3)


End file.
